Punjab

Punjab became the center of a Sikh kingdom under Ranjit Singh, who captured Lahore in 1799 and was crowned there in 1801. He united the Sikh misls, the regional warrior confederacies, and made Lahore his capital.

By 1813 Ranjit Singh had annexed the remaining misls; his forces took Multan from Afghan rule in 1818 and later conquered Kashmir and Peshawar. He modernized his army with new training, weapons and artillery, while his government included Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus.